Young Entrepreneurs 2010

Written on the 3 December 2010

Creative agency P’s in a Pod has enjoyed its best year in business since Louise McGregor first opened shop in 2003.

The Southport company has driven revenue forward by 18 per cent after picking up several new clients including the Gold Coast Rapid Transit Project, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Pacific Fair and RCI Australia.

“I believe we achieved this growth firstly because we built a loyalty with our existing clients who have stayed with us for a long time,” says McGregor.

“Then moving into 2010 we were ready to assist companies who had sat dormant for 12 months and now required an injection of marketing into their business in order to grow again. This year has also been brilliant as many clients have wanted to rebrand their business, which I absolutely love.”

“Gold Coast TAFE offers non-accredited courses to the public in everything from belly dancing, cooking and surf lessons to small business and computer courses,” she says.

“We looked at how ACE was branded and it was the same bland, simple and serious marketing that you’d see in the wider education sector. We thought that these courses are not for people trying to get a degree or further their careers, they’re about self-improvement, enjoyment and satisfaction.

“In developing the new Lightbulb brand we analysed where these courses fit into the general education sector and how they should be branded to show the point of difference. We’re putting the fun and excitement back into education.”

The Gold Coast TAFE contract is a model example of what McGregor describes as ‘strategic branding’.

“There are a lot of fantastic designers out there, but modern companies need a platform where a brand can be delivered with a proper strategy,” she says.

“We’re working for two gentlemen who are starting a business management consultancy and they’ve been great.

“Rather than asking us to build them a logo, they’ve come to us looking for a long-term marketing strategy in how to make their business stand out in the market.”

P’s in a Pod is starting to make a dent in a cluttered market and the agency was shortlisted to secure the marketing contract for the Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games 2018 bid.

“We were in the top two applicants and were obviously disappointed to miss out in the end, but on the positive side it goes to show how competitive small Gold Coast companies are with larger, capital city rivals,” says McGregor.

“Six years ago when I was working in Sydney the attitude was ‘why would you go to the Gold Coast to work’, but now, especially over the last two years that attitude has really changed.”